Prayer, the Lord who takes the lowly
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
रामा अयोध्येच्या राया । दिनानाथा रे सखया ॥1॥
पाप ताप विघ्न हरीं । दिनानाथा सुख करीं ॥ध्रु.॥
भिलटीचिया रे उिच्छष्टा । स्वीकारिसी रे तूं भ्रष्टा ॥2॥
मी तों सलगीचें मूल । तुका ह्मणे तू सखोल ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
O Rama, king of Ayodhya, O Lord of the lowly, my dear friend. Destroy my sins, afflictions, and obstacles; O Lord of the humble, bring me happiness. You accepted the half-eaten fruit of the tribal woman Shabari, receiving even polluted offerings. I am Your intimate child. Says Tuka, and You are deep and generous.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
O Rama, king of Ayodhya, Lord of the lowly, my dear friend. Take away my sin, my suffering, my obstacles; Lord of the humble, give me happiness. You took the half-eaten fruit of the tribal woman; You, who accept even the polluted. I am Your own intimate child. Tuka says: and You are deep and generous.
What it means
Tukaram prays to Rama by the titles that matter to a sinner: king of Ayodhya, but also friend and Lord of the lowly. He asks for the ordinary relief, removal of sin, affliction, and obstacles, and rests the request on a remembered act of grace. Rama once ate the fruit Shabari had already tasted, accepting what custom called defiled because the love behind it was pure. On that ground Tukaram claims his place not as a stranger but as an intimate child who can speak freely. The whole prayer leans on God's character as deep and generous, the kind of Lord who measures by the heart's love and not by the giver's rank or purity.
Prayers
Direct appeals to God: for protection, guidance, strength, and mercy.
More in this theme →